Top positive review

4.0 out of 5 starsStories are told in alternate chapters; through conversation (Nick) and a diary (Amy)

ByKent Priceon September 29, 2014

The stories of Amy and Nick are told in alternate chapters. The marriage of Nick and Amy turns toxic when they lose their jobs in New York and move back to their hometown in Missouri. Amy is unhappy, disappears and is presumed dead, with Nick the prime suspect.

SPOILER ALERT for description that follows. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing. At first Nick is worried, then becomes alarmed, as does the rest of the town. Told from alternating points of view, Nick and Amy tell their stories through conversation (Nick) and a diary (Amy). However, their stories do not match. Amy is hiding out and uses her fake diary to lead police to believe Nick is her killer since she has "disappeared." Amy is running low on money when she is robbed by fellow guests of a motel. Desperate, she seeks help from her first boyfriend, Desi. He agrees to hide her but keeps her almost a prisoner.

Amy disappears under very disturbing circumstances. Nick and Amy Dunne were the golden couple when they first began their courtship. Soul mates. They could complete each other's sentences, guess each other's reactions. They could push each other's buttons. They are smart, charming, gorgeous, and also narcissistic, selfish, and cruel. The book ends with Amy writing that she is about to give birth to her son, and that she has written a memoir about her abduction by Desi. Nick had begun writing his own memoir exposing Amy's murderous, manipulative tendencies, but he deleted it when Amy (who knew he had wanted a child for years), revealed her pregnancy. The ending shows Nick and Amy back together, with Nick being kind and gentle, loving the thought of becoming a father. He decides that if he can return to being the man Amy fell in love with, he could be happy and make himself happy.

Top critical review

1.0 out of 5 stars'Gone' will be your valuable time reading this mess!

ByLucyfanon October 17, 2017

This is one of THE WORST books that I have ever read-- it's implausible, insipid, and insulting. Therefore, the reason that this was made into a movie is beyond baffling??? (As well as the 5-star reviews-- do people just 'settle' for mediocre, inferior, or less, these days???).

The story is mind-numbingly l-o-n-g (translation: boring), while taking unnecessary twists and turns, given in excessive detail (again, boring), and ultimately it's unrelatable and very unbelievable. Since most couples in this world are NOT sociopaths, it is difficult to comprehend 'why' these two very unlikeable people would stay together? People go their separate ways every day, rather than engaging in cruel "mind games" to one-up each other, and continue to 'trap' each other into staying in an unhealthy relationship. The rest of the characters are really caricatures with no depth, and readers will take very little interest in any of them. Needless to say, the ending is ridiculous and disappointing-- it felt as if the author just lost her momentum (or perhaps was near deadline?), and took the easy way out.

***SPOILER ALERT***: There are (at least) two events that stand out as especially inexplicable. Why would Amy open the cabin door, when she KNEW that Jeff and Greta were after her money??? And, HOW did Amy use a knife on Desi, when she was supposed to have been "hogtied", and it was mentioned that he was cutting her meat and feeding it to her??? Opening the cabin door was just sheer stupidity, but that action was obviously used to move the story along. And, since Amy's explanation of her use of the knife was 'bogus', the police should have been able to see through it, or at least question and investigate it more extensively.

This is the first time that I have read anything by this author, and it will be the last. I don't recommend this book to anyone, and I would certainly NEVER pay good money to see the movie.

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This is one of THE WORST books that I have ever read-- it's implausible, insipid, and insulting. Therefore, the reason that this was made into a movie is beyond baffling??? (As well as the 5-star reviews-- do people just 'settle' for mediocre, inferior, or less, these days???).

The story is mind-numbingly l-o-n-g (translation: boring), while taking unnecessary twists and turns, given in excessive detail (again, boring), and ultimately it's unrelatable and very unbelievable. Since most couples in this world are NOT sociopaths, it is difficult to comprehend 'why' these two very unlikeable people would stay together? People go their separate ways every day, rather than engaging in cruel "mind games" to one-up each other, and continue to 'trap' each other into staying in an unhealthy relationship. The rest of the characters are really caricatures with no depth, and readers will take very little interest in any of them. Needless to say, the ending is ridiculous and disappointing-- it felt as if the author just lost her momentum (or perhaps was near deadline?), and took the easy way out.

***SPOILER ALERT***: There are (at least) two events that stand out as especially inexplicable. Why would Amy open the cabin door, when she KNEW that Jeff and Greta were after her money??? And, HOW did Amy use a knife on Desi, when she was supposed to have been "hogtied", and it was mentioned that he was cutting her meat and feeding it to her??? Opening the cabin door was just sheer stupidity, but that action was obviously used to move the story along. And, since Amy's explanation of her use of the knife was 'bogus', the police should have been able to see through it, or at least question and investigate it more extensively.

This is the first time that I have read anything by this author, and it will be the last. I don't recommend this book to anyone, and I would certainly NEVER pay good money to see the movie.

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I bought the book once, got about 6 pages in and returned it because I didn't like it. I purchased it again not realizing this until after and thought maybe it will get better so i read it. The beginning of the book was written strangely, the characters were unlikable and the ending was one of the worst I've ever read. The ending ruined the whole book and the main characters were boring, un-relatable and uninteresting. The whole book actually made no sense because the main characters didn't even like each other so there was no reason to go to the extent in which the book does. The middle of the story was bearable yet could have been so mich better! I wish I never purchased the book and can not return it.

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The stories of Amy and Nick are told in alternate chapters. The marriage of Nick and Amy turns toxic when they lose their jobs in New York and move back to their hometown in Missouri. Amy is unhappy, disappears and is presumed dead, with Nick the prime suspect.

SPOILER ALERT for description that follows. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing. At first Nick is worried, then becomes alarmed, as does the rest of the town. Told from alternating points of view, Nick and Amy tell their stories through conversation (Nick) and a diary (Amy). However, their stories do not match. Amy is hiding out and uses her fake diary to lead police to believe Nick is her killer since she has "disappeared." Amy is running low on money when she is robbed by fellow guests of a motel. Desperate, she seeks help from her first boyfriend, Desi. He agrees to hide her but keeps her almost a prisoner.

Amy disappears under very disturbing circumstances. Nick and Amy Dunne were the golden couple when they first began their courtship. Soul mates. They could complete each other's sentences, guess each other's reactions. They could push each other's buttons. They are smart, charming, gorgeous, and also narcissistic, selfish, and cruel. The book ends with Amy writing that she is about to give birth to her son, and that she has written a memoir about her abduction by Desi. Nick had begun writing his own memoir exposing Amy's murderous, manipulative tendencies, but he deleted it when Amy (who knew he had wanted a child for years), revealed her pregnancy. The ending shows Nick and Amy back together, with Nick being kind and gentle, loving the thought of becoming a father. He decides that if he can return to being the man Amy fell in love with, he could be happy and make himself happy.

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Obviously this book does not need my review. It's been on international bestseller lists for years. The Gone Girl movie releases this fall which will probably end up with some Academy Award nominations. Oh well, I'm giving my two cents anyway. Here are my three issues with the book: the beginning, the main characters, and the ending.

I seriously thought there might be something wrong with me at the beginning because I felt like I should be loving it, but I didn't. I was actually bored to tears and not just for a couple chapters. I'm talking for 130+ pages it was slow and I made no connection with the story. Yet I forced myself to press on and keep reading. Thank goodness the book became more interesting, and intriguing things started to happen.

I really like twisted stories a great deal, and Gone Girl had many twists and turns. But I need a character to root for and care about. The main characters, Nick and Amy, are just emotionally and morally bankrupt people. I guess Nick would be the lesser of the two evils. Still, I did not like him one bit, and I despised Amy even more. Just check out this quote:

"I won't divorce him because that's exactly what he'd like. And I won't forgive him because I don't feel like turning the other cheek. Can I make it any more clear? I won't find that a satisfactory ending. The bad guy wins? F*** him."

Here's another:

...'"Amy likes to play God when she's not happy. Old Testament God.""Meaning?""She doles out the punishment," Tommy said. "Hard"'

And here's the last one:

'"I don't even want to ask," he said. "You two are the most f***ed-up people I have ever met, and I specialize in f***-ed-up people."'

The ending... well, it had no real conclusion. I guess the point was these two a**holes have to spend the rest of their lives together miserable. I guess they both deserve unhappiness.

I predict the Gone Girl movie will be hugely successful with Ben Affleck in the starring role, and I will probably enjoy the movie. However, as a book, it was pretty good, IMO, but not entirely my cup of tea. For dark and twisted I much preferred CONSEQUENCES by Aletha Romig and BLIND OBSESSION by Ella Frank. Both of those book received 5 star ratings.

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I feel like I missed something. I originally was giving this book 4 stars. At 52% of the way through it was a solid 5 stars. I just finished the book, and so disappointed, it is getting 3 stars. I felt the book just dragging. I remember thinking at some point this has to pick up! It was not horrible, it just was not keeping my attention. Therefore, 4 stars. I had had enough, was about to turn off my Kindle for the night and whoosh! It picked up speed. I read straight on through the night, I looked up at 5am, and only paused to feed my dog. Back to reading! I even posted a review, which did not get posted due to a glitch.(?) I have never left a review in the middle of a book. I gave it 5 stars, even though it was unfinished. I was forced to put the Kindle down through most of the day yesterday. Finally, late last night I picked up where I left off, eager. I had misread so much in this book, I was honestly surprised at each turn. Nothing was what I expected. A few minutes ago I started feeling like lines were just being repeated, it was slowing down, losing momentum... and then I was looking at the Acknowledgment page? Where was the ending? What happens next? It was not, "This is so good it left me wanting more"... It was more like,"I think there needs to be an ending! Where is the ending?". 3 STARS! I read Dark Places & Sharp Objects, so I have a feel for Gillian Flynn's writing style. I hoped this would be even better than the first two. I never saw the movie so I am not comparing the two. I am just really disappointed in the ending.

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Gone Girl:I feel a little flabbergasted, let down, restless... I feel the ending of a book needs an ending, yet I don't think I got one. I need, must know what happens next... My conscience will not accept an imaginative extended ending.

It's truly hard to share my opinions on this book, on the characters, and where my head is at without revealing what I feel is left unknown to those who have not read. But one thing I can say is I thoroughly enjoyed this read even though I needed it to give me more.

Dark Places:You know when you finally peel away all the papery layers of the skin off an onion and then go to cut into it only to find you’ve missed the slimy translucent film that still needed to be pulled away? Well… That’s how you feel reading Gillian Flynn’s novel Dark Places… The twisting plot, horrific people, and ever changing suspects leave an icky sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach. Even so, Flynn has the ability to make the reader connect with these characters with little to no redeeming values. Why must I yearn for them to find a ‘good ending’?

This is the second Gillian Flynn book I’ve read (the first one being Gone Girl) and am happy to report it is yet another page turner. Dark Places takes you through the days leading up to and of a grousome butchering of a mother and her daughters in 1985 while at the same time you’re spending time with the one surviving daughter, Libby Day, in present time as she looks back on that horrific day and to discover what really happened. If you love a good ‘whodunit’ mystery and you’re not at all squeamish, this IS your next read.

The deeper I got into the book the more my mind was consumed by gritty and raw thoughts, especially when I was reading late at night. As I fell asleep with the characters, their actions, their thoughts, and what they were going to do next my psyche jumbled everything together and allowed these characters to leave their fictional existence and enter mine… I’ve always found this a sign of a good book, when you get so engrossed the lines between fictional and reality blur you’re forced to step back and remind yourself the characters do not exists. I immediately started reading Flynn’s novel Sharp Objects after finishing Dark Places and as I was drifting asleep reading the pages I kept inserting Diondra (a character from Dark Places) into the pages… At that point I knew (1) Flynn had a done an amazing job at hooking her reader and (2) I was yearning for more out of Dark Places. As with Gone Girl Flynn had taking her ending and set it right next to a beautiful gift box and ribbon… Not quite nice enough to put in the box and tie the bow… leaving me feeling cheated of that ‘good ending’ (with no lose ends) I desired.

Sharp Objects:Gillian Flynn has the ability to deliver a raw and wicked mystery again and again, leaving the reader (and the characters) feeling unwell. This is the third book I’ve read by Flynn and I once again loved the journey she took me on and I will undoubtedly pick up the next she writes.

In Sharp Objects we take a journey with journalist Camille Preaker back to her home town to unveil the mystery of recent murders of two preteen girls. Along with Camille we unravel secrets that the Wind Gap locals never thought would see light. In guessing who committed such heinous acts to these young girls I am particularly disappointed with myself. I feel I had my finger on the pulse of the mystery and ending up taking the worm Flynn dangled in front of me, leaving me to ignore the bread crumbs Flynn so carefully laid out for me. Nonetheless, I found my self transfixed with the novel, the characters, the grittiness, the imperfection… If you pick up this novel you will not be disappointed.

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A quick background to put my review in context: This is my first ever Amazon review, although Amazon.com is my go-to site for just about everything except groceries. Additionally, I am a bookworm and literally sleep with my hands wrapped around my kindle (when I DO sleep, as I am an insomniac). Depending on the length and complexity of any given book, I read 1-4 books per week, averaging about 2 per week. (Compliments of my insomnia.) I've read over 400 books over the course of the past 3.5 years. I wanted to add in this intro to show how strongly I felt about this book and how it got me riled up enough to take the time to write my first ever review.

For a long time, I avoided reading "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn because despite the 4.5 star ratings in the thousands, the book had a lot of negative reviews. Additionally, all of the negative reviews I read had almost exactly the same complaints regarding the book. I caved when I heard a movie version may be coming out, as I like to compare how two different mediums portray the same story, so I finally downloaded the book.

I found the first part of the book to be VERY interesting, although I figured out what happened to the "gone girl" before I even started part two. I don't know if it was meant to be predictable or if I've just read too many books, but I enjoyed it and started wondering why so many people disliked it. The second half of the second part of the book when "gone girl" appears (don't worry, you learn that by reading the table of contents, so this is not a spoiler) is where it all went downhill for me.

The ending to the book basically read like the beginning of the book, so you really only need to read a few pages of the beginning to get a feeling for the "non-ending". I call it a non-ending because no plot points were resolved or tied up in any way, shape, or form. Maybe the author was going for a cliffhanger? But, it wasn't even that as it didn't end in suspense. Rather, it ended in dismay for me as a reader AND also for the characters. There was no emotion or resolution of any kind that left me feeling satisfied when I turned the last page. I don't need a happy ending. I just need some sort of ending, some closure. The ending felt like the author got tired of writing or was close to missing her deadline, so she just stopped writing and thought the lack of an ending would make her book all the better and "different", setting her aside from other authors. Well Ms. Flynn, you failed miserably on that account.

I gave this book two stars because I found the psychological aspects of Ms. Flynn's writing in "Part 1" and through various parts of "Part 2" of the book to be intriguing. However, my recommendation would be to wait to read the book until it is available at your local library or to borrow a copy from a friend or family member instead of wasting your money on it.

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Gone Girl is the story of an ill fated couple, their angry passion and the destruction that drags everyone around it to the story's indelible conclusion. It's about Nick Dunne's mistakes and the consequences that lead everyone to wonder what happened to his wife, Amy Elliot?

Flynn does a great job of leading the reader through the the mind of Amy, via Amy's diary and the clues that hint at what happened to her. She disappears one afternoon, on their anniversary, seemingly without reason. Their living room is in disarray and as the story unfolds little details of Amy's disappearance come together like the hand of an abused child to point at Nick as the person responsible. The story creates great anticipation and suspense with every clue that is discovered and Nick's guilt becomes more apparent each day that Amy is still missing.

Without giving away the suspenseful climax, I will explain why I gave the book only 3 stars. I love the suspense that Gillian Flynn draws the reader into and makes us wonder "What happened to Amy? Did Nick do it? What did Nick do?" It made me want to keep reading until I found out what happened. However when I did finally reach the conclusion of the story I was angry. The characters are manipulative, conniving, controlling, mean, bitter people. I too felt manipulated. At the end of the story I hated all the characters in the book except for Nick's sister.

Because of the suspense I will go see the movie when it hits the theaters. Gillian Flynn's style of writing is straight forward and at a good pace. I like the unexpected turn the story took but with no redeeming characters at the end I didn't care what happened to them and they do not even come close to getting what they deserve.

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Like many of the previous reviews, I must say that the story-line, twists and intrigue is solid - until the end. Below, is a recap of my experience:What I liked: character development; first-person story telling; suspenseful writing; random humorous fact tidbits (i.e., pointing out the proper use of the pronoun "I".)What I didn't like: the ending! Really? For such a in-depth character development, thought provoking, and suspenseful first 90%, the ending seemed like the author had two weeks to come up with a conclusion and randomly hammered one out, between doing a load of laundry and going for a run. I was also disappointed, and at one point just played annoyed, by of the use of vulgarity. I am in no way a prude, and used to the "usual suspects" of today's mystery, crime and legal writing. I also got the impression the excessive use of vulgarity was supposed to make (at least) Amy's character believable, once you found out her true identity. But really. After awhile it felt like I was back in kindergarten hearing immature "pee, pee, poo, poo" child-speak. I don't understand why in today's literary world, writers have to include stuff of NC-17 (and beyond) ratings. I don't want to read C***, B****, F***, C***, etc. over, and over again. I get it! You are trying to hammer home the fact that the character is unstable. I don't need to be offended as a human being, and as a woman, to catch on. The overly excessive obscenities forced me to lose respect for you as a writer, Gillian.

All in all, a creative and suspenseful read. Just be prepared for a lot of "pee pee, poo poo" slang and a ridiculously disappointing ending.

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I think this book is incredibly overrated. I tried really hard to like it, because so many people think it's pretty much the greatest book ever. But I thought it was so boring. I kept putting it down and then I just ended up never picking it back up. I don't see the point of finishing it anyway, I figured out what happened to Amy early on in the book. I read a couple of reviews to see if I was right and I sure was! I don't like predictable books. I also don't like slow books, and this book is slow as hell. I've never read any other Gillian Flynn books, and after this I don't plan to.

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